Ten YoYo Decapod
Reviewed by Chris Rhoads
February 5, 2012
Introduction
The Decapod was the first yo-yo design shown by recent start up Ten Yoyo. The unusual design was the first thing that got not just my attention, but also the attention of many others in the community as well. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t slightly disappointed when they put this yo-yo on the back burner in favor of releasing the Wet Whistle. At the time I was not the biggest fan of the ultra wide designs that were popping up in the market, but if you have read my Wet Whistle review you know my opinion has changed on that subject. I don’t know if they just wanted more time with the Decapod design or if they felt the Wet Whistle would make a better freshman splash on the market. At this point I’m not worried about it, the Decapod has recently dropped on the industry and I finally get to review this unique yo-yo.
Specs
• Diameter: 54mm
• Width: 38mm
• Gap: 4.6mm
• Weight: 64.5g
• Bearing: Crucial V-Groove
• Response: Flowable Silicone
Construction
Oh how I wish this had come in the retail packaging. I love when companies go out of their way to do something special with something as mundane as the box the product comes in. The current king of outlandish packaging is Crucial, who has in the past used school milk cartons, ice cream pints, and mini shoeboxes. Looks like Ten YoYo is giving Crucial some competition with the Decapods butcher inspired packaging. The Decapod comes shrink wrapped on a Styrofoam butcher tray, the type that a T-bone steak would come on, and then they take the extra step of putting a butcher scale style sticker on the shrink wrap to complete the look.
Photo courtesy of the Ten YoYo Facebook page.
The Decapod is an exaggerated H-Shape yo-yo design similar to the Hspin NVX. The profile shows medium sized rims with a deep concave cut swooping into the gap. The gap, on first inspection, looks high walled but a closer look reveals a slight angle leading into the response, keeping the walls away form the string. There was one surprising feature that had not been mentioned before. In the catch zone there are projection profile like grooves cut into the wall, but these are the thinnest grooves I have ever seen on a yo-yo. They almost feel like the grooves on an LP record. The face gives a good idea of just how thick those rims really are. There is a deep cup with a domed hub covering the entire floor. Under the rim is a slightly angled IGR, somewhat of a rarity on these exaggerated H-Shape designs. The yo-yo has the same military hard coat black that was on the Wet Whistle with a striking blue X logo on the center hub. If black is not your thing, the Decapod also comes in a raw 7075 aluminum version complete with the same blue X logo. Over all, the design is decently comfortable in the hand. The edge of the rim could be a little more rounded but other than that it is an elegant riff on the current H-Shape trend.
Weight
The Decapod is a lightweight 64.5 grams and almost all of that is in the rims. It is extremely stable with incredible spin times… with the right bearing, we will get to that in a minute. The Decapod is fast on the string, flying from hop to hop during tricks with near instantaneous direction changes.
Response and Bearing
The response for this yo-yo is poured clear flowable silicone, a switch from the Wet Whistle’s white flowable silicone. Both give excellent binds and dead unresponsive play. I personally preferred how the white popped against the black finish of the yo-yo but that is a purely subjective opinion. Lets be honest, we don’t spend that much time looking at the guts of the yo-yo. We are too busy playing them.
I don’t know if it is just the bearing in this Decapod or if it is indicative of the V-Groove bearing in general, but found this bearing was holding back the performance of the Decapod. It did not give a decent spin time even after repeated cleanings. I know the reason behind using it but honestly this yo-yo does not need a bearing to keep the string away from the gap walls. After switching to a 10-Ball I was getting much better performance. All the opinions in the play test section based on my play with a 10-Ball installed.
Playability
This yo-yo plays incredible. The lightening quick speed coupled with the large H-Shape catch zone make for a fast yo-yo that is still very easy to use, even at an intermediate skill level. Jade whip, Ninja Vanish, and plastic whip felt easier than usual to hit. Eli hops and Black Hops were also a breeze, even when done sloppily, thanks again to that catch zone and the slight angle on the rims that guide the string into it. Suicides are a trick made for these extreme H-Shape designs. The lack of a wall and little to no obstructions in the catch zone mean that the loops stay wide open the whole way through. Most grinds on the Decapod are top notch. The grooves act as a blasted surface so finger grinds spin for quite some time. The yo-yo rides on the slim edge of the rims during palm and arm grinds leaving little to come in contact with skin and reducing sudden shots off the arm. Thumb grinds are good but can slip off every once in a while. If the angle of the IGR were slightly steeper it would alleviate this small issue. Overall, I loved the play of the Decapod and can honestly say that it may have just taken the crazy H-Shape crown away from Hspin.
Final Thoughts
The Decapod is a brilliant playing yo-yo. Do not let my comments on the bearing sway you from thinking anything less. This is a near perfect follow up to the Wet Whistle and proof positive that Ten YoYo has no problem squeezing the absolute best performance out of some seriously off the wall designs. Roo and Wabbit have done another amazing job and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.